Let there be change

We are bearing witness to a metamorphosis of unprecedented proportions—and the only way we can respond is to harness the forces driving transformative change.

Exponential developments in technology and sustainability are redefining how we live and work, and COVID-19 is accelerating these to the speed of light. Their impact will be profound, shaped by a tectonic shift in the value placed on technology after lockdown, the speed at which economies, countries and companies respond to new markets, and the new opportunities to supercharge global sustainable development goals. As we emerge from the pandemic there will be only one way to keep up, and that will be for entire industries to embrace change itself as the guiding spirit of a new era that requires them to reimagine their very purpose.

Accenture is leading by example, with a new brand campaign: "Let There Be Change”, to inspire organizations to embrace change, to create more value for the benefit of all, and with a new company purpose—to deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity, which reflects the human ingenuity of our 506,000 people and their commitment to using technology—to deliver value for all our stakeholders.

Purpose is the new gold standard by which companies and their leaders are being judged. Consumers and workers are increasingly pledging loyalty to businesses that have a clear sense of purpose founded on values that chime with their social concerns. They want change in the way their lives are run and companies to take a stand on pressing issues such as sustainability, transparency, and fair employment, and they are rewarding those that do – purpose already influences a quarter of global consumer spending.

So for a purpose to endure and be a North Star, it must be linked to the value that it creates as a business. Some call this ‘stakeholder capitalism’— at Accenture, we look at it more as being “shared success.” To make it real and tangible, we have announced that we would pioneer the delivery and measurement of shared success with “360-degree Value.”

“360-degree Value” means delivering and measuring value for all stakeholders—our clients, our people, shareholders, partners and communities. Business speaks in the language of value. We believe “360-degree Value” has the potential to transform our industry and the larger business community—and ultimately make a real difference in society. And for our clients, this means helping them to transform and reinvent their businesses, reskill their employees, or become more sustainable, with clear financial return.

If together with our 506,000 people we can put change at the heart of our purpose with our biggest brand transformation in a decade—backed last year alone by over $3 bn invested in training and development for our people, acquisitions and R&D—then it is clear that we are practising what we preach. This is because we understand that market leadership is now defined by the pervasive motif of how companies respond to relentless change fashioned by two momentous forces—digitization and sustainability.

While these complement each other, they are increasingly fusing: migration to the public cloud can reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 60 million tons globally per year, which is the equivalent of taking 22 million cars off the road, according to our research. We are helping to make this happen: for instance, we have created Accenture Cloud First, a new multi-service group of 70,000 cloud professionals with a $3bn investment to help clients fast-track their digital journeys.

We are learning how to ensure those journeys lead us all to shared success – by navigating a constantly shifting landscape using change itself as our compass.